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Plot Summary: Lieutenant Dalby discovers a malfunctioning bio-neural gel pack and replaces it without getting authorization, which causes several systems ship-wide to stop working. Tuvok expresses concern to Janeway that Dalby and some other Maquis crewmembers are not trained or disciplined enough to work on a Starfleet vessel. Though Janeway is more worried about the possibility of multiple gel pack failures disabling Voyager’s systems, she recommends an on-the-job training course for the crewmembers having the greatest difficulties. Chakotay gives onetime Starfleet Academy instructor Tuvok a list of possible candidates, from which Tuvok selects four junior officers – impulsive Dalby, belligerent Henley, unfocused Chell, and bitter Gerron – who deeply resent being singled out for extra attention. The group complains when Tuvok insists that they remove all traces of their personal style from their professional demeanor and marches out after what they consider to be an unfair physical exercise. Neelix offers Tuvok some wisdom about plant stalks needing to be flexible, which Tuvok at first takes to mean that the young crewmembers are too rigid, then discovers that Neelix means to criticize himself and his teaching methods. He tries to get to know Dalby and realizes that some of the Maquis crewmembers suffered traumas that make it impossible for them to become contented, well-adjusted Starfleet officers overnight. Meanwhile, the Doctor discovers that Neelix’s attempt to make cheese has cultivated a bacteria that now infects the gel packs. The Doctor proposes raising the temperature to help the gel packs fight off the infection, but although the gel packs are saved, Tuvok and his unhappy team become trapped in a cargo bay where Gerron is injured. Dalby becomes irate when Tuvok orders him to get to safety with Henley and Chell, but when Tuvok himself violates procedure, risking his life to save Gerron, the Maquis officers are impressed and promise to work harder to obey the rules.

Analysis: I didn’t like “Learning Curve” when it first aired for its obnoxious attitude toward Maquis dissidents and indeed toward anyone who refused to assimilate entirely into Starfleet’s arbitrary regulations, which I thought at the time might just reflect my lack of understanding of how military protocols worked. But it rubs me the wrong way even more so now that we’ve seen some of the history of Vulcan intolerance in Enterprise, and now that we know the Maquis will be asked to give up their sense of belonging to their own cultures as well as their identities as members of an organization in conflict with Starfleet (the latter a demand that’s completely justified on a mission like Voyager’s, though I note that Worf was allowed to wear the accoutrements of a Klingon warrior on duty even when the Klingons were at war with the Federation). Of course it’s a problem that many of the Maquis have not had Starfleet training in teamwork, physical fitness, even self-protection, though I might note that Neelix and Kes haven’t either. It would seem both reasonable and fair for Tuvok to include them in a course to get underprepared crewmembers ready for life traveling through the Delta Quadrant, particularly since Kes had never left her village, let alone her homeworld, until just before Voyager arrived. The cheese incident that almost destroys the bio-neural gel packs is a far more heinous betrayal of safety protocols than the replacement of one of those gel packs, even if Dalby is rude when reprimanded while Neelix only stammers in embarrassment. And surely there are Starfleet crewmembers as well as Maquis who were unprepared to have a brief mission into the Badlands turn into a potentially lifelong journey? Couldn’t many of the junior officers use a refresher course in focus and teamwork? If Janeway and Chakotay’s goal is to get their two crews functioning as a single unit with the same ease with which Torres now works with Carey, they’d be well advised to include some Starfleet officers in the remedial class even just for show. Not so long ago, Tom Paris was a criminal and Torres was punching fellow officers, while now they’re fourth and fifth in the command chain; seems like a lot of people on that ship could use a bit of extra attention.

And although Tuvok may have been an Academy instructor for more than a decade, he seems like the wrong person to be leading an exercise in new-to-Starfleet teamwork. These angry, demoralized Maquis crewmembers need a counselor, not a disciplinarian; the morale officer might do them more good, and indeed does them more good when he lectures Tuvok, than a stern Vulcan whom they consider a traitor to their cause. I think it’s a mistake that we see the senior officers’ point of view rather than that of the recruits, since we don’t get to learn the positive independent-minded aspects of what Chakotay dismisses as “the Maquis way.” A strong left hook may get someone hauled before a disciplinary committee in Starfleet, but we’ve had such behavior by the Klingons rammed down our throats for years now as something we should admire, so it just doesn’t look particularly outrageous when a Maquis crewmember does precisely what a Klingon would do in a similar situation of being singled out for his temper. Apart from Dalby, who joined the Maquis because Cardassians brutalized his girlfriend, we never get to know the Maquis crewmembers, and the more Tuvok talks, the more arrogant he seems, like the obnoxious Vulcans of “Take Me Out to the Holosuite” rather than thoughtful, nuanced individuals like Spock and Sarek. Now that the US military and other such organizations have relaxed their rules about whether and when soldiers can wear yarmulkes, hijabs, and other items directly related to the practice of religion, I feel even more justified in my fury against Tuvok when he orders Gerron to take off his Bajoran earring – an accessory quite different from the headband that Tuvok forbids Henley to wear. The Bajoran earring is a symbol of faith. It’s also a mark of one’s family and social caste, two things that the young Gerron has lost being stranded 70,000 light years from home. Whether he had lost those already in a traumatic incident that led him to join the Maquis, as Dalby seems to believe, or whether he joined the Maquis out of sympathy for the settlers’ desire to protect their homes, like Kasidy Yates, Gerron is clearly clinging to this one meaningful relic of his former life, which Tuvok orders him to put away without any care for its significance.

Clearly, Tuvok is obsessed with the letter of the law rather than its spirit – he’s closer to being Javert from Les Miserables than was Sisko when Eddington mocked him with that sobriquet – but given the pettiness of the Vulcans we saw in many TNG and DS9 episodes, I gather we’re supposed to assume that it’s because Tuvok’s a Vulcan, for whom logic demands holding even to the most trivial of regulations. But I can’t understand why Chakotay agrees to let someone whom he thought served his own cause, then turned out to have been working behind his back all along, serve as corrections officer for other Maquis crewmembers. Chakotay’s facial tattoo would not be permitted even in the current US military, and I’d love to hear his response if Tuvok ordered him to remove it or cover it up. He’s usually a champion of diversity and broadmindedness, yet he seems amused at the thought of having four shipmates for whom he was once responsible, who are as troubled as they are troubling, put under Tuvok’s yoke. Of course ship-wide discipline is important in a crisis, as we see when it takes much of the crew working together to solve the problem with the gel packs, but a rigid dress code for people who will be working together for many years can hardly be the element that makes them see themselves as a team. It will be acknowledging, understanding, accepting, and taking advantage of their differences which will accomplish that. If the Starfleet uniform serves to bond Voyager’s crew in early days, it later serves to homogenize them; no wonder Sisko preferred spending his off-duty hours in African dress and Kira never stopped wearing her Bajoran earring even when in Starfleet uniform. “Learning Curve” fails in its effort to be “Lower Decks” because it fears to let us get to know and admire the quirks of the individual Maquis, erasing their distinct histories and grievances even as Janeway’s off playing traditional British governess in a traditional British novel knockoff. She needs to spend more time thinking about exactly which aspects of the Federation she plans to keep thriving on her ship as it creeps toward home.

]]>http://www.trektoday.com/content/2015/07/retro-review-learning-curve/feed/5Star Trek: The Exhibition In Washington Statehttp://www.trektoday.com/content/2015/07/star-trek-the-exhibition-in-washington-state/
http://www.trektoday.com/content/2015/07/star-trek-the-exhibition-in-washington-state/#commentsFri, 31 Jul 2015 19:00:37 +0000http://www.trektoday.com/content/?p=41252Star Trek: The Exhibition will be arriving at the Washington State Fair in September.

The Washington State Fair will take place September 11-27 in Puyallup.

“Star Trek: The Exhibition, under license by CBS Consumer Products, will run for seventeen days and gives visitors the opportunity to enjoy an interactive, museum-style experience of one of the largest collections of authentic Star Trek artifacts and information ever put on public display. This is a separate ticketed exhibit, and requires Fair admission. Exhibit tickets can be purchased in advance for $6.50 until Sept 10 here, or $8 at the State Fair. Children five years and under are free in the exhibit with a paid adult. Online orders are subject to standard processing fees.

“The Exhibition brings visitors into the Star Trek universe and allows them to connect with iconic Star Trek moments. Throughout this experience, visitors, especially younger visitors and youth, will be inspired and motivated to seek out more education, and perhaps ignite a passion for lifelong learning and careers in science and technology.

“Star Trek fans and novices alike will have a first-hand interactive experience to explore the worlds, wisdom, science, stories, cultures, characters, fashions and fantasies of the Star Trek universe. In the States, and around the world, Star Trek has become a sub-culture for many, supported by countless fan conventions and fan gatherings where many regularly gather and role-play in their favorite Star Trek characters.

“Among the main attractions of The Exhibition is the opportunity to sit in the legendary Captain’s chair where Captain Kirk and subsequently Captain Picard took command of the U.S.S. Enterprise; the opportunity to pose in front of a replica of the U.S.S. Enterprise; and one-of-a-kind displays, interactive kiosks and rare photo opportunities.”

]]>http://www.trektoday.com/content/2015/07/star-trek-the-exhibition-in-washington-state/feed/0August-September 2015 Trek Conventions And Appearanceshttp://www.trektoday.com/content/2015/07/august-september-2015-trek-conventions-and-appearances/
http://www.trektoday.com/content/2015/07/august-september-2015-trek-conventions-and-appearances/#commentsFri, 31 Jul 2015 18:53:51 +0000http://www.trektoday.com/content/?p=41248There will be nineteen conventions, shows or appearances in August and September that will feature actors of interest to Star Trek fans.

This listing of conventions and shows features actors from all of the televised series and several of the Star Trek movies.

Next up is Shore Leave, to be held Aug. 7-9 at the Baltimore Hunt Valley Inn in Hunt Valley, Maryland. In attendance at Shore Leave will be Daniel Davis (Professor James Moriarty).

The Steel City Con will be held Aug. 7-9 at the Monroeville Convention Center in Monroeville, Pennsylvania. In attendance at Steel City Con will be Nichelle Nichols.

The Dublin Comic Con will be held Aug. 8-9 at the Convention Centre Dublin in Dublin, Ireland. In attendance at Dublin Comic Con will be Gates McFadden.

The Windsor ComiCon will be held Aug. 15-16 at the Caesars Windsor in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. In attendance at Windsor ComiCon will be Marina Sirtis.

Crypticon Kansas City will take place Aug. 21-23 at the Howard Johnson Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri. In attendance at Crypticon Kansas City will be Sid Haig, Chris Sarandon, and Tony Todd.

Walker Stalker Con will be held Aug. 22-23 at the Westin Waterfront in Boston, Massachusetts. In attendance at Walker Stalker Con will be Denise Crosby.

The Central Coast Comic Con will take place Aug. 28-30 at the Ventura County Fairgrounds in Ventura, California. In attendance at Central Coast Comic Con will be Sid Haig (Lawgiver in Return of the Archons) and Deep Roy.

Wrapping up August will be the Bournemouth Film & Comic Con, to be held Aug. 29-30 at the Bournemouth International Centre in Bournemouth, England. In attendance at the Bournemouth Film & Comic Con will be Max Grodenchik.

September begins with Fan Expo Canada, which will be held Sept. 3-6 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In attendance at Fan Expo Canada will be Jeffrey Combs, Malcolm McDowell, Jennifer Morrison, Kate Mulgrew, Ethan Phillips, Robert Picardo, and Jeri Ryan.

Dragon*Con will take place Sept. 4-7 at several hotels in Atlanta, Georgia. In attendance at Dragon*Con will be Terry Farrell, Jonathan Frakes, Gary Lockwood, and Paul McGillion.

Wizard World Comic Con San Jose will be held Sept. 4-6 at the San Jose Convention Center in San Jose, California. In attendance at Wizard World Comic Con San Jose will be Adrienne Barbeau.

The Alamo City Comic Con will be held Sept. 11-13 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas. In attendance at Alamo City Comic Con will be Olivia d’Abo and Ron Perlman.

The Wizard World Comic Con Pittsburgh will be held Sept. 11-13 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Appearing at Wizard World Comic Con Pittsburgh will be Colm Meaney and William Shatner.

RocCon will be held Sept. 11-13 at the Kodak Event Center in Rochester, New York. In attendance at RocCon will be Nichelle Nichols and Marina Sirtis.

Wizard World Comic Con Columbus will be held Sept. 18-20 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio. Appearing at Wizard World Comic Con Columbus will be Brent Spiner.

The Rose City Comic Con will be held Sept. 19-20 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon. In attendance at Rose City Comic Con will be Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols, and Wil Wheaton.

The Salt Lake Comic Con will be held Sept. 24-26 at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, Utah. Walter Koenig will be appearing at the Salt Lake Comic Con.

September wraps up with the London Comic Con, to be held Sept. 25-27 at the Western Fair District in London, Ontario, Canada. In attendance at the London Comic Con will be Nicole de Boer and Ron Perlman.

]]>http://www.trektoday.com/content/2015/07/august-september-2015-trek-conventions-and-appearances/feed/0Shatner To Pen Book On Nimoyhttp://www.trektoday.com/content/2015/07/shatner-to-pen-book-on-nimoy/
http://www.trektoday.com/content/2015/07/shatner-to-pen-book-on-nimoy/#commentsFri, 31 Jul 2015 18:45:58 +0000http://www.trektoday.com/content/?p=41245William Shatner is planning on writing a book about his friend Leonard Nimoy.

Shatner considered Nimoy to be a brother to him.

“I’m writing a book about Leonard,” said Shatner. “I had a brother, whose life arc was so much like mine that we understood each other completely. Our age, our birth, the same types of problems in our marriages – our careers arced in the same manner.

“We had a great deal in common, Leonard and I. And thusly we were able to understand each other. Iâ€™ve lost a dear friend.”

Five new photos show the progress made in building the set which began back in May.

The first photo shows the bare bones of the set back in May.

The second photo shows what appeared to be a building with some broken trees on it.

In the third photo, it becomes clear that the second photo was not a building, but hills with broken trees. The plywood of the second photo has been covered with dirt.

In the last two photos, the “hills” set is being expanded.

Larger-sized photos are available at the referring site.

]]>http://www.trektoday.com/content/2015/07/star-trek-beyond-building-continues/feed/0Trinneer In Western Horrorhttp://www.trektoday.com/content/2015/07/trinneer-in-western-horror/
http://www.trektoday.com/content/2015/07/trinneer-in-western-horror/#commentsThu, 30 Jul 2015 17:14:05 +0000http://www.trektoday.com/content/?p=41232Fans of Connor Trinneer will be able to see the actor in a western horror movie set to release on DVD and VOD beginning August 4.

The movie is called A Good Day To Die.

In A Good Day To Die, “Baron Emerson uses his vast wealth to travel the world and hunt. He does not hunt animals, he hunts warriors. The Baron arrives at the American frontier and is looking for his next prey. An outlaw gunslinger named Chamberlin who is in jail and set to be hanged. The Baron arranges for Chamberlin to be freed so that he can hunt him like an animal in a bloody game of life and death in the Wild West.”

Trinneer portrays the hunted Chamberlin, while Robert Koroluck is the hunter Baron Emerson. Others included in A Good Day To Die include Nadia Lanfranconi, Jay Kown, and Leia Perez.

A Good Day To Die was written and directed by Rene Perez.

The movie has already made its European debut, where it was released under the title Prey For Death.

For US fans, to pre-order A Good Day To Die, which sells for $8.46, head to the link located here.

]]>http://www.trektoday.com/content/2015/07/trinneer-in-western-horror/feed/8Beam Me Up Scotty Figurineshttp://www.trektoday.com/content/2015/07/beam-me-up-scotty-figurines/
http://www.trektoday.com/content/2015/07/beam-me-up-scotty-figurines/#commentsThu, 30 Jul 2015 17:10:46 +0000http://www.trektoday.com/content/?p=41229Two new original series figures feature Kirk and Spock in the process of “beaming up.”

The figures will be available from Funko beginning next month.

Each poseable figure is 3 3/4″ in height and features a beaming effect (the bottom part of each character shows this effect). “Captain James T. Kirk [and Spock have five] points of articulation and features unique accessories and the 1980s style card back design.”

The Beaming Kirk and Spock ReAction figures will ship next month. Each sells for $12.99 and can be pre-ordered here for Kirk, and here for Spock.

An auction to be held in the UK this autumn will feature a costume worn by Leonard Nimoy.

The Prop Store and Odeon Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction will take place September 23.

The catalog for the auction isn’t available yet, but at least two Star Trek items will be auctioned.

A costume worn by Nimoy during the second season (blue shirt and black trousers) will be up for auction, and is expected to fetch up to Â£70,000.

Also in the auction will be a model starship used in The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine.

Other non-Trek items of interest include a Star Wars stormtrooper helmet, Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s jacket from Terminator 3, a Lord of the Rings Witch King’s dagger, and a set of claws worn by Hugh Jackman in X2:X-Men United.

Back in May, TrekToday reported that Chris Pine was in negotiations to star in Warner Bros. Wonder Woman; today comes word that Pine has signed on for the role.

Pine will be playing Steve Trevor, Diana Prince’s love interest.

In the Wonder Woman comics, Trevor “was an intelligence officer in the United States Army during World War II whose plane crashed on Paradise Island, the isolated homeland of the Amazons. He was nursed back to health by the Amazon princess Diana, who fell in love with him and followed him when he returned to the outside world. There she became Wonder Woman (and also his co-worker, Diana Prince).”

Pine’s deal reportedly includes sequel options.

Written by Jason Fuchs, Wonder Woman will be directed by Patty Jenkins. Pine will be starring with Gal Gadot, who will take on the role of Diana Prince.

Simon Pegg spoke briefly about the character that Idris Elba will be playing in Star Trek Beyond.

The character that Elba will be playing will be unique, Pegg promised.

“Itâ€™s a really interesting, complex character,” said Pegg. “We shouldnâ€™t expect to see anything like Benedict Cumberbatch‘s creepy genius Khan from Star Trek Into Darkness in Elba’s performance, however. His performance is all his own.”

There’s a good reason that Elba’s villain is different than Cumberbatch’s. “Only because it would be a retread,” said Pegg. “What we don’t want to do is have the same kind of villain with the same motivation.”

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This Lifeboat-esque episode has always held some charm for me. However, after I showed it to a friend last night, although he enjoyed the show, he and I had totally opposite interpretations of the goings-on down on Taurus II…

It’s not the conclusion to the crisis (Spock igniting the remaining fuel as a distress flare was an impulsive and desperate action – eternally debatable if this decision was driven by logic or emotion), it was all the drama in-between that my friend and I disagreed on.

He saw this episode largely as an indictment of Spock’s logical philosophy. He cited Spock’s mini-meltdown during the assault by the Taurean yetis as evidence that the Vulcan approach can’t cope with the rigors of command (Spock, as boulders and spears pound the hull of the shuttle: “Strange. Step by step, I have made the correct and logical decisions. And yet two men have died… I do seem to have miscalculated… and inculcated resentment on your parts. The sum of the parts cannot be greater than the whole.”).

To my eye the rest of the stranded crew (excluding Scotty) seem overwrought and are hindering Spock’s methodical attempts to rescue them more than they’re helping. Most notable is, of course, Boma’s hostile rabble-rousing. Given the time-sensitive, life-threatening situation, it was not simply “illogical” for Boma to demand that Spock preside over Gaetano’s burial – it’s totally insane! Spock was trying to find solutions; Boma et al seemed to be more interested in brow-beating their acting commander than supporting his plans to give them a fighting chance at surviving.

I’m not sure Kirk himself could have done much better with such an insubordinate bunch. For my part, the only failure I see is on Spock’s part is that he didn’t order McCoy to anesthetize Boma, or nerve-pinch the problem in the bud.

So I’m curious what readings other people have of this episode. Did Spock fail? Was Boma righteous or mutinous?

For Boma to be such a pain in the ass was definitely unprofessional insubordination..

But if Spock had been Kirk, he would have set him in his place real quickly, the way an human who understands human emotion would. Because Kirk understands human psychology. He'd say something like "I know you're all feeling pain at the loss of our comrade right now, and I am too, but we've got to focus on the mission. We've got to pull together and focus on being alive tomorrow." Now, i'm a bad writer, so those wouldn't be the exact words, but something like that would have helped calm Boma down a lot more than what Spock was doing, which was basically ignoring/dismissing their human emotions completely.

Spock is too unbalanced to lead at that point. It would be like Mccoy Leading, but giving in to panic and emotionalism instead of pure cold logic. Kirk has the balance, so he's the best leader of the bunch.

Kirk can freely calculate or emote...sometimes both within moments. It may not have been originally intended as such, but Kirk's philosophy is a virtually equal marriage of Spock's and McCoy's. (While Scotty is beyond unique so he's never emulated.)
Still, Kirk isn't particularly big on ''fire to frighten,'' as Spock was. The major problem in GALILEO was that they seemed to forget firing to STUN is far more preferable. Assuming, of course, the multiple creatures could be seen in the mist.

Yes, I suppose that's at the bottom of it: Spock is making the right - or logical - choices, but his management of a panicky crew in a dire situation may be lacking some morale support that they – particularly being human - needed. So the morale of the crew spirals downward.

In that way this episode underscores why Kirk is Captain and Spock is First Officer.

Still, I can’t wholly swallow that the concept that, ‘Kirk is not here, so things fall apart’. If Spock is too “unbalanced” to lead, what of those he is leading? OK, sure, he’s lacking in the bedside manner department, so everyone falls apart? True, if Kirk had been the seventh, it's impossible to imagine the other "Galileo 6" being as unhelpful, but at the same time, not every captain in the fleet can be Kirk. McCoy couldn’t hold the barbs until they were safely home?

Also, why is it that every surviving member of the “Galileo 7” appears on the bridge in the last scene to enjoy a light-hearted laugh at the re-telling of the event, including Yeoman Mears, but excluding Boma? Maybe Boma was confined to the brig? Or sickbay?

To my eye the rest of the stranded crew (excluding Scotty) seem overwrought and are hindering Spock’s methodical attempts to rescue them more than they’re helping. Most notable is, of course, Boma’s hostile rabble-rousing. Given the time-sensitive, life-threatening situation, it was not simply “illogical” for Boma to demand that Spock preside over Gaetano’s burial – it’s totally insane! Spock was trying to find solutions; Boma et al seemed to be more interested in brow-beating their acting commander than supporting his plans to give them a fighting chance at surviving.
I’m not sure Kirk himself could have done much better with such an insubordinate bunch. For my part, the only failure I see is on Spock’s part is that he didn’t order McCoy to anesthetize Boma, or nerve-pinch the problem in the bud.

You're 100% right. The other officers were insubordinate babies, and should all have been court-martialed after returning to the ship. Their behavior was ridiculous. Insane.

Spock's soliloquy ("two men have died," etc) was weird too. Logical decisions can have bad outcomes, particularly in a situation with a lot of unknowns – Spock knows that as well as anyone.

Spock is making the right - or logical - choices, but his management of a panicky crew in a dire situation may be lacking some morale support that they – particularly being human - needed.

That crew was composed almost entirely of officers, some of them senior officers. They should not need that kind of morale support. It's not like they're all Bailey (from Corbomite). Seriously, this crew is mostly guys who should be supplying that kind of support, not requiring it.

If Boma or Gaetano had spoken to Kirk the way they spoke to Spock in this episode, Kirk would have double dropkicked them, and if by chance, the Landing Party survived till they got back to the ship, then he would have Court Martialled them.

Scott was the only officer who performed his duty and obeyed orders as a Senior Officer should have.

If Boma or Gaetano had spoken to Kirk the way they spoke to Spock in this episode, Kirk would have double dropkicked them, and if by chance, the Landing Party survived till they got back to the ship, then he would have Court Martialled them.

Scott was the only officer who performed his duty and obeyed orders as a Senior Officer should have.

I think Scott also understood Spock more than the others. McCoy gets him, but is often too impulsive, affective and carried away with crises that he cannot settle down and consider the possiblites of Spock's alternatives. Kirk, no matter how emotional, stressed or disoriented could mostly to greater extents digest both the pros and cons of Spock's tactics and therefore make the proper decisions himself.

Scotty unlike most of the rest of the Galileo crew works with Spock. Sure some of them might fall within the science department but might have little direct contact with Spock.

__________________
On the continent of wild endeavour in the mountains of solace and solitude there stood the citadel of the time lords, the oldest and most mighty race in the universe looking down on the galaxies below sworn never to interfere only to watch.

I agree that Spock was in the right, being doggedly determined to get them home. The other officers were being ridiculous. Decent burials? Pleading for inspiration? There's a ticking clock and death looming over them and they want to die like "men not machines?" Spock is 100% right about working to increase their chances for survival.

I don't think it all fell apart without Kirk, but it did feel more like a class misbehaving because they have a substitute teacher. Now, we've speculated how Kirk would have handled it. I don't think the behavior of the men would have been the same, because Kirk is human and would have expressed some regret over the deaths. He also wouldn't have suggested leaving two men behind and would have made it clear from the outset that he himself would stay behind so his men could live, if they couldn't get the weight all the way down. If Spock had been able to make that choice logically, imagine who he would have picked. Spock is too smart and his quick thinking might make the difference, so he'd save himself a seat. Scotty - obviously, he's vital. Now it's down to three and Bones is the ships chief medical officer. That buys him a little seniority. Mears and Bomb had less to contribute to their survival in orbit and to the crew as a whole. Now THAT would have gone over great!

Would Kirk have court martialed Boma had Kirk been in command of the shuttle? I don't think it would have come to that. Boma probably would have transferred out, either by his own design or recommended by Kirk. Unless Boma redeemed himself at the end; Kirk is pretty forgiving. In reality, s pointed out, the fact that he isn't on the bridge at the end is telling. Personally, I think he was packing.

By the way, McCoy's behavior in Tholian Web was about on the same level. And for that matter, in Paradise Syndrome too. Unprofessional, non-supportive, inexcusable in a senior officer.

Absolutely. McCoy repeatedly insulted Spock and attempted to bait him into an argument. Several quotes from each episode stand out.

Following the Enterprise's failed attempt to destroy the asteroid: "Well, Spock, you took your calculated risk in your calculated Vulcan way, and you lost. You lost for us; you lost for that planet, and you lost for Jim."

Following the Enterprise's inability to recover Kirk from the interspacially trapped Defiant:"If this crew is to survive, I have to find an antidote to this space you've locked us into."

Following the battle with the Tholian vessel: "You should have known what could have happened and done everything in your power to safe-guard your crew. That is the mark of a starship captain, like Jim."

Prior to viewing Kirk's last recorded orders: "He was a hero in every sense of the word, yet his life was sacrificed for nothing. The one thing that would've given his death meaning was the safety of the Enterprise. Now, you've made that impossible."

"Honestly, Spock, I just can't believe that you'd want Jim's command. But you must know that if you get us out of this, they'll pin a medal on your chest and give you command of the Enterprise."

Following Spock's reply that he already was captain of the Enterprise: "I'd like to remedy that situation."

You're 100% right. The other officers were insubordinate babies, and should all have been court-martialed after returning to the ship. Their behavior was ridiculous. Insane.

Spock's soliloquy ("two men have died," etc) was weird too. Logical decisions can have bad outcomes, particularly in a situation with a lot of unknowns – Spock knows that as well as anyone.

The whole episode is annoying and demeaning.

Agreed, and this is why I never make a point of watching it. Their behavior is just so way out of line. The writer of this episode was probably angling for the "Vulcan in command" receiving discrimination, pushing on the whole "logic" over reason argument. This episode focused way too much on "logic" running decisions.

Spock was inexperienced at commanding in this kind of scenario. While worthwhile to showcase the dynamic, I also feel the writer fell short on credibility for Spock.

McCoy's incessant criticism of Spock bordering on slander is one of the worst aspects of TOS. He's a senior officer, not a country doctor, and must abide by military protocol. When a doctor gets commissioned, they are indoctrinated just like any other officer. Duty and protocol are weighed just as heavily. Kirk knocks him in line from time to time, but man... sometimes he should have come down much harder, slapping McCoy back into reality. Insulting a senior officer, especially in the midst of the crew, is absolutely unacceptable.

Now in dire situations where death seems imminent, it's understandable that someone might crack and lose restraint, but you'd expect that from a junior officer or NCO, not a senior officer.

For Boma to be such a pain in the ass was definitely unprofessional insubordination..

It could be argued this was professional insubordination.

Boma was a scientist. If those meekly follow the orders of a superior scientist, they get nothing done. It's as much Boma's duty as M'Benga's to occasionally slap Spock in the face until he reacts the right way. Granted this wasn't the time or place, but it would be in Boma's professional instinct to talk back to the boss, and that's what he'd get paid for (assuming Starfleet believes in salaries).

Decent burials? Pleading for inspiration? There's a ticking clock and death looming over them and they want to die like "men not machines?"

What was the ticking clock as regards the burial?

The shuttle had lost fuel, but there was no dialogue to the effect that the leak would persist and more fuel would be wasted by the minute. The crew lacked supplies, but there was no immediate danger of starvation. The starship in the vicinity would be forced to depart in a couple of days, after which she would be gone for a maximum of six days, and then return to continue the rescue efforts. And the natives could be kept at bay indefinitely as long as our heroes did not loiter far away from each other and from the immense firepower they possessed.

As far as we could tell, Spock could have taken a full day off to write an eulogy, draw a fictional cathedral in the sand, hold a ceremony involving solemn processions and hours-long chants, get Gaetano buried in a proper, carefully prepared six-foot hole, and then get drunk in a merry wake. There was no hurry.